JR’s top 25 - #24 Texas Tech

By J.R. Hopwood  |   Monday, August 01, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

College Football
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Only in the Big 12 can one division so far outweigh the other. I have the Texas Tech Red Raiders ranked 4th in the Big 12 South and 4th overall in the conference as a whole. This is a team that has produced some impressive offensive numbers over the past few years as Head Coach Mike Leach brought in his pass happy offense.

Replacing a quarterback like Sonny Cumbie is going to be tough, but that's what they said when they had to replace Kingsbury, and that's what they said when they had to replace Symons. You can't just put anyone in the system though. They have to have talent. Fortunately, coach Leach knows talent and knows offensive schemes.

Cody Hodges will likely take the helm this year, and there's no reason to think he won't be as successful as his predecessors. Hodges is a little more agile than Cumbie was and should provide a little more spark to the rushing offense that ranked 112th last year. Running back Taurean Henderson returns and will run behind a much more experienced O-line.

The defense returns 8 starters from last year, including four of their top five leading tacklers. The Texas Tech Red Raiders ranked 15th nationally against the pass last year and the secondary looks even more solid this year. There a few question marks at linebacker, but the experienced D-line should fill the void nicely.

All in all this team could easily match last years record, but road trips to Lincoln, Austin and Stillwater will be tough. They have time to hone the offense as their first 4 games should be pushovers (FIU, Sam Houston, Indiana State and Kansas) and are all in Lubbock. Leach should have this team ready for Big 12 action and could even surprise a few of the big guns in the conference.
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